Before the Dawn by Cynthia Eden Pages: 384
Series: Killer Instincts #2
Genres: Romantic Suspense
Source: ARC, NetGalley
Also in this series: After the Dark, Midnight Target, Into the Night, Midnight Rescue
Also by this author: Taken, After the Dark, Wrecked, Shattered, Torn, Into the Night, Broken, Frozen in Ice , Touched By Ice , How to Heal a Heartbreak , Trapped In Ice
Goodreads
The Killer Instinct series from New York Times bestselling author Cynthia Eden continues as an FBI profiler tracks a case that resurrects ghosts from his past
Ex-SEAL Tucker Frost knows that the world is full of evil. He saw it in the face of his own brother, Mason Frost, a cold, methodical, sadistic killer. A killer Tucker put down with his own hands in order to save Mason's final victim—Dawn Alexander, the only girl who got away from the infamous "Iceman."
It's Tucker's up close and personal experience with evil that's made him perfect for Samantha Dark's experimental profiling division in the FBI. Samantha wants agents who have personal ties with killers, who have unique insights into the minds of monsters. And when women start turning up murdered with the same MO used by the Iceman, Tucker is sent back to Louisiana to investigate.
The last person he expects to see is his ex-lover, Dawn. Ten full years have passed since the night that Tucker faced down his brother…and since he last saw Dawn. But the dark need still burns just as hot between Tucker and Dawn. As they grapple with a desire that never died, they must also face the shared shadow from their pasts. Both Tucker and Dawn have the same question—has Mason Frost come back from the dead to hunt again? And this time, will he succeed in killing the victim who got away?
Mix Criminal Minds with a second chance love story and you have Before the Dawn. You do not have to read book 1 1st in order to enjoy this story; it is a total standalone.
Tucker and Dawn have a seriously messed up past. Dawn was the only victim to escape the serial killer known as the ‘Iceman’. At the time, she was a college student with a boyfriend. The killer? Her boyfriend’s brother, Jason. Tucker saves her, but that is the end of their relationship. Tucker doesn’t want to hurt Dawn by being a reminder. Typical man though, he never bothered to ask Dawn what she wanted or felt. He just left. Now, he has quite the tragic past as well, which he never shared with Dawn. Seven years later, a killer is using the Iceman’s MO in the city Dawn lives in and Tucker, working for a special unit in the FBI is sent to handle the case putting him back in Dawn’s path again.
Dawn has feared that perhaps Jason didn’t die and he might be out there, but Tucker doesn’t think thats possible. She doesn’t want to be left out of the investigation. She works in NOLA as a PI and knows the town well. The mystery of the story is who the killer is. It could be Jason (maybe he never died), or it could literally be almost anyone else. I suspected many different people throughout the story. While the hunt is on, you have the rekindling of the romance between Dawn and Tucker. However, they are both still struggling with the same things that drove them apart before. It was a little annoying that Tucker treated Dawn like a china doll when she obviously wasn’t. I appreciated that Dawn expressed herself as much as possible and tried to be honest with Tucker and her struggles. Tucker however, didn’t seem to share that same outlook on self expression. Frankly, I was kind of getting annoyed with him.
Like with all of Eden’s books I have read, she includes glimpses into the mind of the killer which adds lots of tension. While I am not usually a fan of 3rd person, it works perfectly for romantic suspense books where the antagonist is unknown. Thrilling plot twists, steamy romance, and potent supporting characters makes Before the Dawn a must read romantic suspense!
- POV: 3rd
- Tears: no
- Trope: serial killer, second chance
- Triggers: View Spoiler »
- Series/Standalone: stand alone
- Cliffhanger: View Spoiler »
- HEA: View Spoiler »
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The Devil’s Daughter by Katee Robert, Deep Dark by Laura Griffin, Kill Without Mercy by Alexandra Ivy…then you will probably like Before the Dawn!
Before the Dawn
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